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By daybreak
Published: June 24, 2008
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Aquaculture farms that raise channel or blue catfish in ponds can now participate in Best Aquaculture Practices certification. The complete certification application/audit and guideline forms are available on the "Application Forms" page of the Aquaculture Certification Council website. The new standards are also posted on the GAA website at www.gaalliance.org/bapctfsh.html.
 
Like the BAP standards for shrimp farms, the channel catfish standards address environmental and social responsibility, food safety and traceability through quantitative guidelines and auditing procedures. Two new standards added for catfish farms will also be applied in pending revisions of the shrimp farm standards.
 
Standard 6 on fishmeal and fish oil conservation says that catfish farms must accurately monitor feed inputs and minimize their use of fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild fisheries. Although channel catfish feed typically contains little fishmeal or other marine-based ingredients, farmers shall record the characteristics of all feeds used and calculate average annual values for marine product inclusion, feed conversion and "fish in:fish out" ratios.
 
Standard 10 on animal welfare specifies that producers must demonstrate that all farm operations that involve fish are designed with animal welfare in mind. Employees shall be trained to provide appropriate levels of husbandry.
 
Separate BAP standards for Pangasius are under development. The culture of channel catfish in systems other than ponds will be addressed in future updates to the current standards.

Global Aquaculture Alliance President George Chamberlain recently told members of the National Association of State Aquaculture Coordinators (NASAC) that the launch of the Best Aquaculture Practices certification standards for channel catfish farms will offer an avenue through which U.S. catfish producers can further differentiate their products. "Most channel catfish operations are highly sustainable and will require few modifications, and the benefits of certification could be substantial," Chamberlain said after NASAC's annual meeting, held April 30 in Springfield, Missouri, USA.
 
Chamberlain said many channel catfish farms, particularly those in the United States, could be readily certified because the industry is widely integrated. Many companies control operations for seed and feed inputs as well as processing and distribution. Since channel catfish ponds are seldom drained, farms release few effluents. The fish are omnivores and grow well on a variety of diets, so little, if any, fishmeal is added to feed.
 
Chamberlain said several meeting attendees expressed interest in BAP certification for their constituents. Ted McNulty, state aquaculture director of Arkansas and a member of the BAP technical committee for channel catfish farms, said producers in his state would likely embrace BAP certification.

source: GAA news release 

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